We have moved from Crawfordville, Florida to Rossville, Georgia to be with family. It was rainy most of the ten days in Crawfordville and the rain has followed us. Go figure! As I set at the desk in our newly renovated camper, I'm looking out the window and what do you think it is doing? Raining, of course, but I have to admit the sound of the rain on the roof is soothing.
The title of this post might seem to give away what I am asking of God. At first glance, you would think I am asking for Him to stop the rain. Well, that would be nice in a way, but we do need the rain. Last summer, when we were out west, the heat was almost unbearable. It was one hundred-sixteen degrees with no humidity and the rain was for the most part non-existent. Seriously, it was dry as a bone and we really would have appreciated a little rain. What's wrong with asking for rain? Farmers do it all the time; that is, until the rain comes in torrents and ruins crops. Just pull up flash flooding in a search engine and you will see what I mean. There is balance to be had.
But, it is currently raining outside our camper which is a perfect time to read, study, and listen to some nice, calming music with my wife as she stitches a gift for our sister-in-law.
I really enjoy watching her stitch. It takes concentration and skill. It includes lots of counting and recounting, stitching, and yes even some "frogging." You stitchers will know what "frogging" means. At the same time, the dogs are laying on the couch beside her, just happy to be in a dry, warm place surrounded by protection and love.
I was doing some reading this morning from one of my favorite devotionals; "Valley of Vision." It is a compilation of the writings of several of the puritan theologians and pastors. This devotional deals with the concept of the Trinity, redemption, needs, approaches to God, and much more. Alistair Begg was also preaching a sermon out of Psalm 139 this morning. If you are not familiar with this Psalm, I encourage you to seek it out. It also focuses on many of the concepts listed above in which all of them deal with the three main qualities of God. He is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent. It tied in perfectly with the Valley of Visions devotion this morning.
It left me asking myself, "If God is all these things (which I firmly believe Him to be), than why do I limit the things I ask of Him?" I mean, it is easy to rip off a stream of requests which have little impact on others and even the world. What do I mean? Well, asking for the rain to stop is really focused on my own self-comfort; so I can do the things outside I want to do. But, what if I were to ask God to bring rain to Afghanistan who is facing a drought of over forty years, or Angola who is suffering the worst drought in over a century. Now, that is asking pretty big things of God, yes?
Of course, there are victims of earthquakes, floods, tornados, and disease; all of which are severe and in need of prayer. Relief in these cases would be big requests as well. Damar Hamlin, an NFL football player, who suffered cardiac arrest on the field after being hit in a tackle suffered cardiac arrest became the focus of prayer by NFL players, fans, and even people around the world who know nothing of football. He has begun to recover which is a huge answer to all of these collective prayers.
That is all good, but I am talking about something much larger on a more focused and personal level. What do I ask of God pertaining to my life? I believe my life must be changed if it is to have any lasting impact. In Psalm 139, David writes about God knowing everything we are going to say before we say it. He knows everywhere we are going before we go. He knows every thought we have before we think it. Incredible! Because God knows all these things, the psalmist cries out to Him and acknowledges his dependence upon Him. In verse 1, God has searched him (and us) and known him (and us). In verse 2, God knew when David sat down and stood up. In verse 3, God was aware of all of his (and our) ways. I am not going to list all of the Psalms lines, but I encourage you to read it for yourself.
The words of today's devotional perfectly tie into Pastor Begg's sermon. Because God is an "awesome" God, (a word used too casually), we can approach Him with things that seem huge in our opinions, yet accomplished by God by a mere thought. Again, incredible! "When God is present, evil cannot abide, no fears disturb, and nothing exceeds His power." (1)
The things I can ask for are summarized by a Valley of Vision writer: "Lord, help me to repent of my sin at all times (that is huge) and return to You when I have wandered. (Again, huge). Open my blind eyes and soften my hard heart. Strip me of any self-righteousness and build up my often-times weak faith." (This is huge because I can't do it on my own).
I encourage you to ask great things of God with the knowledge He will answer in a way described by the Psalmist David as"too lofty to understand."(2)
Wear Jesus Well!
Blessings,
Steve
(1) Valley of the Vision
(2) Psalm 139
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